James McMurtry Asks Fans to Shut the F Up
I went to see James McMurtry in Nashville last night (Oct. 20) since I like his albums and even have a Pandora station based on his music, and everything went smoothly until the end of the night. Now I can appreciate an artist wanting to make sure the audience gets the full effect of their songs, and I can relate to how irritating a distraction can be. But when that artist tells the biggest fans in the room to "Shut the f*** up," "Go to the back of the room or I won't keep singing" and walks off the stage during the encore because said fans were singing along to his song, I'm not inclined to listen anymore. Especially since earlier in the show he invited everyone to the foot of the Mercy Lounge stage to dance and get wild. Which one is it? Maybe these fans weren't models of concert etiquette, but that doesn't excuse a grown man's temper tantrum. McMurtry is not new to this game and we were not in a library. And if I wanted to pay to get cussed at and made to feel uncomfortable ... well I just don't want to do that.
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Joe says:
wow that’s just plain rude
CLARENCE TURNER says:
Some people today have no respect for others.Never heard of him but if he’s like that who cares who he is.
Truersound says:
I just saw him on the 17th, three nights prior. It was rowdy, he was rowdy, and no way he could have heard us singing along. Perhaps this was a more low key show? Course he didn’t have to invite us down to dance either. Every ass was moving in the place from the first chord.
Pecos Pete says:
James McMurtry is a genius. People should know by now they are there to listen not sing along. That’s what Chesney and Swift concerts are for. Would you go to a poet reading and recite along with the author? Would you go to a clay sculptor’s viewing and bring your own play-doh to help out? Would you go to an oil canvas painter and tell him he needs more red? I guess these were not hardcore McMurtry fans, or they would’ve known he calls the shots. He has my support.
8charlotte says:
I have no idea who this singer is.I have never heard of him.But I do not care who you are and how so called popular you are,NO one has the right to use such profanity and cuss paid fans that way.Afterall those paid fans are the ones who have made him who he is.Very rude of him and I do hope he loses a ton of fans for his rudness.
luckyoldsun says:
I never heard of him either, but I wouldn’t go by one person’s review.
Maybe he was joking and that’s how most of his fans took it.
hotelmotel says:
8charlotte’s claims aside, I’m pretty sure McMurty does have the right to use profanity and cuss paid fans. It may have been pretty stupid of him, he may lose some fans, who knows. But I’m pretty sure he has the right to curse and to use profanity. We all do! And sometimes we should exercise it.
Redmaz says:
Lets see…Grammy Noms, AMA noms, #1 albums, and some of the most cutting edge hard hitting political and social songs of this decade “We Can’t Make it here Anymore”, “Cheney’s Toy” “God Bless America” to name a few, not to mention his amazing guitar playing, and you’ve never even heard of him? That speaks volumes to me. If you took the time to post on a blog of someone you’ve never even heard of, I’m sure you took the time to check out him and his music right? What is your opinion of that?
Robin says:
Pecos Pete - if he invited drunks to dance then he should expect them to sing along. Normally drunks don’t go see painters or scultures. Sell a ticket to a drunk and you get what you get.
hotelmotel - while he does have the right to use profanity, he does not have the right to “curse people out”, it’s called harrassment and it is not legal.
He is a great artist and perhaps had a bad night. We all do - right?
Pecos Pete says:
Who said anything about being drunk? Were you there? Were you drunk? Like I said, he calls the shots at his shows. Don’t like it, don’t go.
Jon says:
James has done a ton of shows in a row nightly across not just states, but countries and continents for a month now… and I suspect he had a bad moment, as a gig goer, I know how irritating people can be at gigs, singing along loudly, txting their mates mid-set and drinking loudly…
Every genius deserves a break - go download ‘too long in the wasteland’ or the encore in question (I Suspect) ‘Lights of Cheyenne’ and survey the magic. Quick.
Swilly says:
Just remember, his band is called the Heartless Bastards. Think about it next time you want to sing along.
solongsowrong says:
How did you ever find this “hidden” blog on an Americana artist, Robin? I thought you said CMT doesn’t acknowledge these artists on this website. Did you get a chance to read the blogs on Sam Bush and Mark O’Connor as well?
Redmaz says:
Oh come on solongsowrong…I for one am always getting McMurtry confused with Keith Urban. Or is that Jason Aldean? No wait…Toby Keith maybe. After all, once it hits the CMT website it all becomes just “country” or is that “Pop”? No wait….”Pop Country” Right?
8charlotte says:
Redmaz,No I do not know who he is and No I did not take the time to check him out or his music.I do not care who he is and what type of person he is.No one has the right to cuss someone out just because they were singing along with him while he was singing.What is the purpose of going to his concert if you can not sing with him.You can resite all you want that is the kind of guy he is(not wanting you to sing with him)but that does not give him the right to be so rude.I will say it again he is rude and deserves not to have a fan base if he is going to react that way.
Redmaz says:
Well 8charlotte, I don’t appreciate you or anyone else misquoting me. Not once did I say anything about him not wanting people singing with him, or about people singing with him at all You may want to read my post again….carefully. You are basing your opinion about a person you’ve never heard of solely on a blog. I said you and others here should at least take the time to check out what he’s about BEFORE forming an opinion on someone you’ve never heard of if you feel the need to reply to this blog. You also said those paid fans are the ones who have made him who he is. How do you know? You don’t even know who he is! Since I am a long time listener of James McMurtry, I’ll tell you what made him who he is. His music!
solongsowrong says:
That’s funny Redmaz. Just this past month alone, I have listened to new music from Sam Bush, Adam Steffey, Patty Loveless, Wade Bowen, Steve Martin, Allison Moorer, Curb Lund, Dailey and Vincent, Michael Cleveland, Dan Tyminski, Holly Williams…. all non-commercial artists recently featured or acknowledged on these very blog pages that some consider a “Pop Country website”. Not a one of them sounded “pop”, or could be classified as “just country”. I also didn’t have any problems finding them or considered them “hidden” (whatever that’s suppose to mean… still waiting for a reply on that one). All appeared right along with the Swift, Chesney, and Underwood blogs.
As far as McMurtry goes, I find it quite humorous that people who never even heard of him, are so quick to form an opinion based on one persons blog. My question is, If it would have been Toby Keith, wonder if then it would be considered alright and justified? He always seems to be getting in someones face and being rude.
hotelmotel says:
solongsowrong. You say “I find it quite humorous that people who never even heard of him, are so quick to form an opinion based on one persons blog.”
It is humorous. But we do this all the time. Within less then a second of meeting someone for the first time, we form a judgement about that person based on his or her clothes, demeanor, who he or she is with, et cetera.
These snap judgements may be too quick, but not always.Often they are surprisingly accurate.
For someone who doesn’t want to attend a show that might have profanity, this blog is all they need to know that they are not interested in James McMurtry. For others, his picture might be enough to make at least a first judgment about whether they are likely to enjoy him or his music.
I think a lot of these judgements are snap judgments and less than fully reliable. And I think many people express these judgments on the web in exaggerated or hyperbolic form.
But time is short. Many people don’t value music enough to be willing to spend much time researching various acts. That’s certainly fine and reasonable. For many people, this blog is enough to make a reasonable judgment about whether they would be interested in McMurtry.
Same about Toby Keith. I have read 2 or 3 Toby concert reviews in the past six months and they tell me enough to know that I am not interested in going to a Toby show. I don’t think i would enjoy it.
solongsowrong says:
Since we’re dealing with music here, that is what should come first. But of course it doesn’t for many. So I have to agree with a lot of you points… can’t refute your commentary on human behavior. Only now I find it not only humorous, bad sad as well. If cussing and such bothered so many people, the movie business would have stopped injecting that into dialogue a long time ago. Obviously they haven’t. Also, I noticed nobody complained about the author of this blog, clearly showing exactly what profanity McMurtry used. But that’s a whole other discussion.
Also agree with your point that many people don’t value music enough to be willing to spend much time researching various acts. Yet the majors try to sell to everyone. Hence, promotion becomes more important than talent itself.
Since you feel for many people, this blog is enough to make a reasonable judgment about whether they would be interested in McMurtry, maybe McMurtry would have a bigger, more open minded audience, if he promoted the fact that he is novelist Larry McMurtry’s son. It’s reasonable judgement to think knowledge about that fact, could sway people whether to be interested as well.
As far as Toby Keith, I have heard enough of his music to know I wouldn’t be interested in going to one of his shows. The other stuff, just confirms I probably wouldn’t like him as a person, either… but I can separate the two. I also don’t like the personalities of the Dixie Chicks, but it would never stop me from listening to or buying their music.
kenoo says:
chit hes from texas he can say what he wants